Richard Beddingfield, MD, a cardiothoracic anesthesiologist at Madison, Wis.-based SSM Health Dean Medical Group, wrote in an op-ed that more than a decade after beginning medical school, a number of surprising incidents still came to mind about his experience.
In an op-ed for Signature, Dr. Beddingfield discussed the unexpected people and situations he encountered as a student at the Minneapolis-based University of Minnesota Medical School.
Here are the top 10 most surprising things about medical school, according to Dr. Beddingfield.
1. "There's always a 'dumbest kid in class' — but he or she is still really smart."
2. "There's never a shortage of people willing to lend you money once you're accepted to medical school."
3. "The MCAT is only one of many important exams physicians take throughout their careers."
4. "Choosing a specialty is a complicated, often competitive process — and many medical students are unable to pursue their desired specialties."
5. "Caribbean medical schools offer a 'second chance' for pre-med undergraduate students who do not get accepted to American doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine programs. However, gaining admission to a Caribbean medical school is far from a guarantee that one will ever graduate with a medical degree."
6. "A lot of med students do end up sleeping with one another by the end of four years."
7. "A surprising number of patients 'accidentally' fall on elongated objects after slipping on wet floors when getting out of the shower — naked, of course."
8. "Most American medical students come from families with above-average incomes."
9. "The average age of matriculation for American medical students is about 24 years, but nearly every medical school class has a few brave souls that depart from this norm."
10. "Dealing with death never gets easy — and many medical students and patients are not well prepared for it."
To read Dr. Beddingfield's op-ed, click here.